HISTORY LESSON: Many local youths don't know about King's legacy

By Emil Guillermo, Record Staff Writer Published Monday, January 17, 2005 You have today off. But do you know why? If you ask a young Black student such as Marque Willis, 16, about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he can go into raptures. Today is the national holiday that commemorates King, the civil rights leader who in 1968 was shot to death in Memphis, Tenn. "He was a civil rights leader, a great man and role model to all," Willis said just outside his Edison High School honors history class. "He didn't just contribute to African-Americans, but to the whole world, as far as everybody becoming equal." But in front of the school, ask two seniors, and they can barely articulate King's greatness. "Hmmm, we don't go over that stuff," said Curena Brownlee, 17. "He stood up for slavery rights and stuff," said Valerie Murillo, 17. "He tried to prevent slavery, I guess. Didn't he?" Complete Story: http://www.recordnet.com/daily/lifestyle/articles/011705-l-1.php